


Living the Good Life

by katikat



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Episode Related, Family, Gen, Humor, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 12:35:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13364820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katikat/pseuds/katikat
Summary: Jack meets his old nemesis, Jimmy Leroy, at the Oklahoma City Airport again. How he wishes he could just punch the cockroach in the face! Missing scene from episode 213. Jack’s POV. (Unbeta'd)





	Living the Good Life

Jack walks out of the little shop by the Oklahoma City Airport with a smile on his face and a little blue box in his hand. The perfect gift!

He feels bad that Mac lost his little red knife. He knows that Mac doesn’t blame him, they’re still learning how to work around the big hole that Cage’s, hopefully temporary, departure left in their team - over the past few months, they got used to having another pair of hands at their disposal - so it really wasn’t his fault that a damn  _monkey_ stole the detonator - seriously, who could’ve taken a  _monkey_ into account! - still… Jack feels really bad. Because he knows that it wasn’t just some Swiss Army knife. It was a gift from Mac’s grandfather.

And so, when Jack saw an almost identical knife - just maybe with some more…  _doohickeys_ \- in the window of the little shop, he simply went in and bought the thing. Sure, Jack’s not Mac’s  _grandfather_ but–

“Dalton? Hey, Jack, what are  _you_ doing here, pal?” a voice calls after him. A very familiar,  _unpleasantly_ so, voice.

Jack closes his eyes and groans silently. Then he takes a deep breath and turns around to greet…  _James Leroy_ , Jimmy the Cheater. The cockroach who stole Jack’s crown. Pox on the guy!

“Hey, Jimmy!” Jack calls back, his smile so fake it must be obvious to everyone watching, including Jimmy the Big Ol’ Liar!

Apparently not because Jimmy rushes towards him with his paw outstretched, and grabbing Jack’s hand, he pumps it really hard as if they haven’t just seen each other mere hours ago. 

“Hey, hey,  _hey_! Long time no see!” Jimmy guffaws amicably and punches Jack in the shoulder.

Oh, if only Jack could punch him back, right in the kisser. “What are you doing here?”

Jimmy waves his hand airily. “Oh, you know, our charity organization plans to expand its US based activities, so we’re contemplating setting up something or other in the tornado region around here… But what about you? I thought you were on an urgent ‘bathroom tile business’?” He nudges Jack with his elbow and winks.

 _Keep calm, keep calm, keep calm,_ Jack urges himself, though his smile turns even more strained. “Yeah, well, it brought me to Oklahoma City.”

“That’s so great, dude!” Jimmy exclaims, all bright eyes and bouncy attitude. “Come, let’s have a drink together!”

 _As if!_  “Sorry, Jimmy, I–”

But Jimmy isn’t listening. He grabs Jack around the shoulders with one arm and shakes him excitedly. “ _Come on_! It’ll be fun! Unless you have a flight to catch–”

“Well, no–” Jack has to admit.

Jimmy whoops with delight. “Then it’s settled! Let’s go!”

Jack can only groan again. Well, he  _could_ punch the jackass right in the nose but Matty probably wouldn’t approve if he started a brawl in the airport. That’s why Jack resigns himself to this torture and goes along with it.

“So, tell me about yourself, Jackie Boy!” Jimmy demands as they settle into the plush burgundy chairs of the brightly lit airport bar - seriously, no self-respecting bar would be  _this_  brightly lit.

Jack sips his beer. “I told you everything,” he replies, shrugging.

“No, no,  _no_ ,” Jimmy says, “ _I_ told you everything. About my career and wife and kids… You told me you were a spy. Ah, always the class joker.” He shakes his head fondly.

Gritting his teeth, Jack takes another sip. He would prefer something stronger but it’s better to stay sober. Especially in this situation. Definitely.

“Come  _on_ , Jack!” Jimmy prompts. “Wife? Kids?  _Mistress_?” He winks again.

 _What?_ “No, no wife, Jimmy,” Jack says finally. And he’s about to continue and add “no kids either” but his eyes land on the little blue box that he bought for Mac and that’s now lying on the small glass topped table in front of him. And then he thinks,  _Why the hell not?_

“But I do have two kids,” Jack says, looking straight at Jimmy with a new-found confidence. Because this is the absolute, God honest truth. “I took them under my wing some time back and I watch out for them and I couldn’t love them more even if they were biologically mine.”

Jimmy falters a little, his bright smile dimming. “Oh?”

Jack nods. “Yeah, a boy and a girl. She’s a computer wizard, he’s ex-military, like me, and they both work for one of those government funded think tanks? ‘Cause they are smart, dude, like so smart! And I’m so proud of them!”

“Oh,” Jimmy mumbles again, his smile dimming some more.

 _Yeah_ , Jack thinks.  _You didn’t expect that, did you, Jimmy Boy? Not a complete loser, am I?_

The moment that thought pops up in his head, something…  _changes_ in Jack. Because it’s the truth. He’s not a loser. He’s…  _not_. He has a great life, fantastic even, and a great family, a bunch of friends that would  _die_ for him, who would follow him to hell and back if only he just asked. And that’s more than he thought he would ever have, that he could’ve ever wished for. He’s actually a really lucky guy. Wow.

“That sounds, uh, great,” Jimmy mutters.

Jack grins at him, genuinely happy. “It does, doesn’t it? I mean, sure, my life turned out differently than I expected, I didn’t become a football star or anything, obviously, but I can’t complain. I travel all over the world on the job, I work with my kids on their projects, I have a great place back in LA… I’m-I’m  _happy_ , man.”

Jimmy opens his mouth and closes it again, obviously not knowing what to say. “I… ah, I’m glad to, uh, hear that, man.”

Nodding, Jack keeps grinning almost manically because he feels almost giddy now, as if huge weight dropped off his chest and he can finally breathe freely. What was he so anxious about in the first place?

Before either of them can say more, Jack’s cell phone beeps, announcing the arrival of a text message. He checks it and says, “Sorry, man, gotta go. My jet’s ready for takeoff.”

Jimmy blinks. “You have a…  _jet_?”

“My company does,” Jack explains and drains his glass, then he leans closer and winks at his old rival. “You know, the bathroom tile business is  _booming_. We need to keep on top of it.”

Getting up, Jack makes sure his little blue box is stashed safely in his pocket. Then he grabs Jimmy’s slack hand and pumps it hard. “See ya, old man. And don’t be a stranger.”

And then he turns and walks out, whistling. He can’t wait to get home.


End file.
